After the opening in 1948, the circuit was the home of multiple Formula 1 Grand Prix races. The sixties were the combativeness of the famous drivers Graham Hill, Jim Clark, and Jackie Stewart. They all won at least one of the races. Wolfgang von Trips and Jack Brabham also triumphed at the circuit of Zandvoort. In the seventies the circuit experienced a underwhelming period, with deadly accidents of Piers Courage in 1970 and Roger Williamson in 1973. Amongst the race winners were Niki Lauda , James Hunt, Mario Andretti and Alan Jones. 1985 saw the last Formula 1 Grand Prix, and it was again Niki Lauda that won the race in what turned out to be his last Formula 1 win.

The circuit subsequently went through a rough phase, until the Masters proved to be a very popular event, spawning lots of drivers that ended up in Formula 1 such as David Coultthard, Pedro Lamy, Enrique Bernoldi, and Jos Verstappen. More recent examples are Takumo Sato, Christian Klien, and Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Today, the track is popular amongst both teams and racing drivers. The friendly, incomparable Zandvoort hospitality and the unique atmosphere make Zandvoort a much sought-after track for international race series. It wasn’t long until ADAC GT Masters, FIA GT3 European Championship, FIA European Formula 3 Championship en Blancpain Sprint Series, came to Zandvoort.